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Runelords
, Runelord of Greed]] Origin of the Runelords Thassilon was founded more than 11,000 years ago by First King Xin who had been exiled from his homeland of Azlant for promoting heretical beliefs. As the empire grew beyond the bounds of Xin's ability to control, both militarily and administratively, he appointed powerful arcanists as governors to oversee his lands. The mightiest of these were the Runelords, seven of the most skilled (and power-hungry) wizards in Thassilon, if not all of Golarion. Working secretly to secure power for themselves, the opportunity to fully escape servitude under First King Xin appeared when he, in his old age and after having ruled Thassilon for more than a century, destroyed himself and much of his palace in a mysterious magical event. The Runelords seized the opportunity and subjugated those loyal to Xin - including his own son, who became a puppet emperor - while each plotted within his or her own lands to become ruler of all Thassilon. The Virtues of Rule (wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and well-deserved rest), passed down from the goddess Lissala and First King Xin himself were seen as the benefits of power, and each of the runelords was drawn towards one of the seven. Over the course of time, the runelords corrupted these into what modern scholars understand to be the "great sins of the soul," abandoning the positive aspects of each and embracing the negative connotations of each (greed, lust, boastful pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth) as the rewards of rule. Each of the seven rulers specialized in a single school of rune magic and possessed a mighty weapon which not only served them in battle, but also became a symbol of their rule. The Runelords of Thassilon The runelords forged alliances with dragons and enslaved giants by using secrets of rune and glyph magic stolen from the aboleths in their efforts to increase their own power. With their enslaved giant armies, the wizards of Thassilon built massive tombs, enormous magical constructs, and staggering monuments that survive today, mute testimonies of a mysterious age long past. ; Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath: Domain: Bakrakhan Weapon of Rule: Ranseur of charred adamantine ; Belimarius, Runelord of Envy: Domain: Edasseril Weapon of Rule: Halberd ; Karzoug, Runelord of Greed: Domain: Shalast Weapon of Rule: Burning glaive studded with meteoric gemstones ; Krune, Runelord of Sloth: Domain: Haruka Weapon of Rule: Dragon-tooth longspear ; Sorshen, Runelord of Lust: Domain: Eurythnia Weapon of Rule: Double-headed guisarme ; Xanderghul, Runelord of Pride: Domain: Cyrusian Weapon of Rule: Lucerne hammer ; Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony: Domain: Gastash Weapon of Rule: Scythe The Runelords' Slumber As all evil empires must, Thassilon fell. The reason for this fall remains a mystery, but as the end drew near, the seven runelords retreated into the depths of their greatest monuments, entombing themselves with orders for their minions to release them later to reclaim their empire. Alas, Thassilon's minions were enslaved or slaughtered. No one was left to waken them, and so the wizard kings of Thassilon slumbered for countless ages. References Category:Thassilon/Inhabitants Category:Runelords